銀杏－－成功的中藥西用

Ginkgo Biloba--One of the Widely Used Chinese Herbal Medicine

近年來。中草藥在全球被廣泛應用。特別是銀杏，在中國已有幾千年歷史，主要應用在治療氣喘、支氣管炎及心臟功能障礙。德國和法國最早使用銀杏葉萃取的EGb761作為銀杏的標準品；如今已在許多國家成為上架販售的健康食品。銀杏被認為可以改善記憶力、增進集中注意力，並消除侷促不安、沮喪、焦慮、頭昏眼花、耳鳴、頭痛等大腦機能不全的症狀。但是，過去關於銀杏的研究，在識別能力的改善及癡呆症並無太多有力的證據，有些學者因此認為，需要以嶄新的方法學、增加研究對象的數目、以及多樣化的族群，來進行大型的研究分析。即使銀杏可能成為目前全世界最暢銷的健康食品，而且專家也強調服用銀杏的安全性及益處，但不可忽視銀杏在古代曾有中毒死亡病例的記載；與其它中藥之間交互作用的報告也不少。因此，服用各種健康食品仍應先諮詢專業人員，以免造成不可彌補的遺憾。

Chinese herbal medicine is currently applied for both health care and therapeutic purposes all over the world. Ginkgo biloba was used in China for centuries to relieve asthma, bronchitis and heart dysfunction before it became either a prescription medicine or an over-the-counter drug. Today, the extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves-EGb761, which is the standardized extract in Germany and France, is marketed as a diet supplement in many countries. Ginkgo is considered to improve memory and concentration, and also be effective in the treatment of confusion, depression, anxiety, dizziness, tinnitus and headache. Several previous studies showed that there is weak evidence showing ginkgo's positive effect on cognitive impairment and dementia. However, more investigations are needed to study ginkgo on a larger number of subjects from diverse populations with a modern methodology. Ginkgo is perhaps the most widely used diet supplement, and many experts have claimed that it is both safe and potential beneficial. However, the health risks of ginkgo in Chinese traditional medicine and negative interactions between ginkgo and other medicines have been reported. Therefore, people who take ginkgo as a supplement should consult with their health care provider.